1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to insulated beverage containers and more particularly pertains to a new insulated beverage cooling container for cooling and insulating a beverage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of insulated beverage containers is known in the prior art. More specifically, insulated beverage containers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,590; U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,782; U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,684; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 243,498; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 333,756; U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,517; U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,258; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,224.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new insulated beverage cooling container. The inventive device includes a container having a base wall. A peripheral side wall is integrally coupled to a periphery of the base wall and extends upwardly therefrom for defining an interior space and an upper peripheral edge. The container further includes a generally horizontally orientated first intermediate face mounted to the peripheral side wall above and in general parallel orientation with the base wall for defining a first compartment. A perimeter wall is integrally coupled to and extends downwardly away from the periphery of the base wall for defining a space and a lower peripheral edge. A second intermediate face is mounted to the perimeter wall below and in general parallel orientation with the base wall for defining a second compartment and a lower peripheral edge. The second intermediate face has a plurality of holes therethrough. A cooling means absorbs heat for cooling the contents of the housing. The cooling means includes a first heat sink positioned in the first compartment, a second heat sink positioned in the second compartment, and a thermo-electric device positioned in the base wall.
In these respects, the insulated beverage cooling container according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of cooling and insulating a beverage.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of insulated beverage containers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new insulated beverage cooling container construction wherein the same can be utilized for cooling and insulating a beverage.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the insulated beverage containers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new insulated beverage cooling container which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art insulated beverage containers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a container having a base wall. A peripheral side wall is integrally coupled to a periphery of the base wall and extends upwardly therefrom for defining an interior space and an upper peripheral edge. The container further includes a generally horizontally orientated first intermediate face mounted to the peripheral side wall above and in general parallel orientation with the base wall for defining a first compartment. A perimeter wall is integrally coupled to and extends downwardly away from the periphery of the base wall for defining a space and a lower peripheral edge. A second intermediate face is mounted to the perimeter wall below and in general parallel orientation with the base wall for defining a second compartment and a lower peripheral edge. The second intermediate face has a plurality of holes therethrough. A cooling means absorbs heat for cooling the contents of the housing. The cooling means includes a first heat sink positioned in the first compartment, a second heat sink positioned in the second compartment, and a thermo-electric device positioned in the base wall.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the insulated beverage containers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new insulated beverage cooling container which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art insulated beverage containers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such insulated beverage cooling container economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container for cooling and insulating a beverage.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container which includes a container having a base wall. A peripheral side wall is integrally coupled to a periphery of the base wall and extends upwardly therefrom for defining an interior space and an upper peripheral edge. The container further includes a generally horizontally orientated first intermediate face mounted to the peripheral side wall above and in general parallel orientation with the base wall for defining a first compartment. A perimeter wall is integrally coupled to and extends downwardly away from the periphery of the base wall for defining a space and a lower peripheral edge. A second intermediate face is mounted to the perimeter wall below and in general parallel orientation with the base wall for defining a second compartment and a lower peripheral edge. The second intermediate face has a plurality of holes therethrough. A cooling means absorbs heat for cooling the contents of the housing. The cooling means includes a first heat sink positioned in the first compartment, a second heat sink positioned in the second compartment, and a thermo-electric device positioned in the base wall.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container that uses a thermoelectric device to cool a beverage contained in the container.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new insulated beverage cooling container that may be used to heat a beverage by reversing the current flow.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.